The Baha’i calendar is also known as the Badí (Wonderful) Calendar. A Baha’i year consists of 19 months of 19 days each (361 days), with the addition of “Intercalary Days” (four in ordinary and five in leap years) between the eighteenth and nineteenth months to adjust the calendar to the solar year. The months are named after the attributes of God. The Baha’i New Year is astronomically fixed and begins with the March equinox (March 21). The Baha’i Era commenced with the year of the Bab’s declaration (1844 A.D.).
Nineteen day feast
Each Baha’i community holds a Nineteen Day Feast on the first day of each Baha’i month. The Feast has spiritual, administrative and social functions and is the primary locus of fellowship and community decision-making in each Baha'i locality. Because the Baha’i day lasts from sunset to sunset, the Nineteen Day Feast is generally held in the evening on the day before the first day of the Baha’i month according to the Gregorian calendar.
The last month in the Baha'i calendar, March 2-20, is dedicated to the Fast. During this time, Baha'is between 15 and 70 years of age do not eat or drink for 19 days from sunrise to sunset and set aside time for prayer and meditation. Exemptions from the Fast occur for illness, pregnancy, nursing mothers, extended travel and arduous physical labor.